House Arrest
by rach0486
Summary: SEQUEL TO OPERATION CHECKMATE! It’s Jack’s turn to be in over his head… CHAPTER 8 UPDATED!
1. Simon Says

**STARGATE SG-1: House Arrest**

Summary: Sequel to "Operation Checkmate". It's Jack's turn to be in over his head…

Season: 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, yadda yadda.

Author's Note: OK, I know what I said… no more. And I whole heartedly take it back. It really is a bad idea for me to walk into town and then sit in Starbucks for half an hour. That's where this came from. Please R&R as always. Thanx. Enjoy!

WARNING: Strong Language!

Dedication: To Chaos-Carter! Thanx for all the help you've given me. You've been a real asset! Luv ya babes!

House Arrest: Chapter 1 – Simon Says.

No police. No NID. No funny business. Man, did this guy know how to work up the clichés!

Not that Jack had much room to argue. It was a case of play along or lose something that he couldn't imagine being without – Carter.

To him, that just wasn't an option.

It wasn't just the fact that Simon was promising to kill her – it was the fact that he was sure there was a lot that would come before that end.

'It would be all too easy for me to waltz in there, scare the living shit out of her and blow her brains out… or worse.' That's what he'd said. Jack was trying so hard not to think about what 'worse' could mean. But that was easier said than done. His mind had a tendency to run away with things like this.

Torture? Definitely. That seemed to be Simon's forte (psychological anyway but something gave Jack the feeling that the physical kind was also within his capacity). Rape? God, he hoped not. But he wasn't 100 sure he should rule it out just yet.

Either way, he couldn't let anything happen to her. He could never live with himself if she came to harm.

"Alright. What do I do?" The words choked Jack, even as he uttered them. His eyes were fixed on his TV screen, watching Sam as she read her book. He felt like he was betraying her in saying what he did. But it was the only way he could keep her safe; the only way he could keep this nut case away from her.

The price he would have to pay for that, of course, was the problem. It was another man's life.

After thirty years in the Air Force, Jack was pretty much used to the sight of death and destruction. But when all that was in cold blood, it turned Jack pale with anger. He had only once been the cause of such a scene and that was plenty enough.

But, for her, he was about to make it one more.

"You know how Sam got Gibson?" Simon asked slyly.

"Took him out from a first floor window with a Sound Suppressed Revolver Riffle," he said mechanically. It still felt strange thinking that she had done something as horrific as that. And for him, no less.

"Yeah. Quite a nice shot as well. But that's not what I want you to do. That sort of thing's got me written all over it."

"Trying to lay low, are we?" Jack said lazily.

"Something like that," Simon replied. "What we need for Frakes is something a little more… subtle."

"Arsenic in the brandy type of thing?"

"No…more of a strangling him with razor wire type of thing."

If Jack had been drinking beer, the bottle would have fallen dramatically from his fingers, smashing (or at least spilling its contents) on the floor. As it happened, he simply found himself completely and utterly lost for words; in the sense that he literally could not find words to express the revulsion, shock and disgust he felt towards the man he was unfortunate enough to be talking to.

"That's subtle?" he managed to gasp eventually, saving the string of insults for later.

Simon laughed. "Yeah, I'll admit, it's a little extreme. But then, if it were me doing this, that'd just be for starters."

Jack breathed in sharply. Okay, so torture was definitely in the picture now. His eyes flickered back to the screen for a moment but he forced himself to look away. "It sounds to me like you two have some…personal issues to iron out - why don't you pay him a visit yourself? Save us all the trouble," Jack said cynically.

"Well, the whole point of this is for me to get back my life, isn't it? If I started that off by killing someone like that, I'd be running from cops for the rest of my life. Not much of a life there, don't you think?"

Jack gritted his teeth. Hard.

"You, on the other hand, have all that lovely Special Ops training. I'm sure you can come up with something imaginative to make it look like someone else did it."

"And Carter? How'd she qualify for Assassin duty?"

"Well, firstly, she's about the only person on the planet who'd be the slightest bit sorry if your corpse turned up somewhere, and since you were the leverage that detail was kind of important. And secondly, she – like you – doesn't officially exist, if you get my meaning."

"She's not Special Ops, though," Jack pointed out.

"So? She managed Gibson alright, didn't she?"

Jack felt his cheeks flash hot. It enraged him to think about what Simon had already put Sam through. Sneaking around the Pentagon and NID. Killing Gibson. The fact that she essentially did it all to save him burdened him with an incredible amount of guilt, like nothing he had ever known. He was utterly obligated to follow Simon's commands, if only to return a favour he knew he had never deserved in the first place.

"You wanna cut the crap or what?" Jack said coldly, trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

"Sure," Simon replied coolly. "Here it is. Frakes is in San Francisco living the life of luxury that all retired USAF Generals are entitled to – especially when forced into hiding. And what's more, his wife's on holiday in the Bahamas at the moment, so he's all alone."

Jack closed his eyes as yet another wave of guilt hit him.

"So, let me guess," he interrupted. "I sneak in, strangle him and then get the hell out?"

"That's pretty much it. Not so hard, huh? But there is a time limit on this."

"Of course there is," Jack quipped.

"You've got 24 hours, Jack. If he's not dead by then… you know what'll happen."

Jack suppressed the urge to ask just what exactly would happen – at the moment cold, hard facts would most certainly be kinder than his vivid imagination. "And after that?" he asked. "Is that all? You'll leave us alone once he's dead?"

Jack could hear him smile again. "If the job's done properly… maybe."

With that, the line went dead.

Jack stood for a moment with the receiver still pressed to his ear, his eyes focused on the TV screen showing Sam's living room; anger boiling inside him.

"SHIT!" he cursed, breaking finally. He launched the receiver at the far wall. It broke on impact; little pieces of plastic and metal components skittered and rolled across the floor.

Sam was still sat contently in her living room, oblivious to the heart-wrenching decisions that had just been made on her behalf. But there was no way out now. Jack was in it to the end and (though he hadn't known it before) had been from the start. It was more than just a simple case of 'what Simon says, goes'. The stakes had been set. And they were high.

They had to be when people's lives were on the line.

Jack took in several deep breaths. Time was ticking by – he didn't have the luxury of standing around hypothesising all day. He had a deadline, one that he could only meet if he avoided thinking all together. There was no 'going' in this game: just 'gone'.

Jack had already gone way beyond the call of duty for Sam. Now… he needed to go further.

* * *

Author's Note: OK, so that'll do for starters! Do please leave a review and I'll get cracking on chapter 2! 


	2. Jonah Complex

**STARGATE SG-1: House Arrest**

Summary: Sequel to "Operation Checkmate". It's Jack's turn to be in over his head…

Season: 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, yadda yadda.

Author's Note: So on with Chapter 2. Thanx for the feedback to chapter 1. Glad y'all liked it! Please R&R as always. Thanx. Enjoy!

WARNING: Strong Language!

House Arrest: Chapter 2 – Jonah Complex

Jack sat anxiously in his seat on the aeroplane. This was never going to end well. Or at least not for him, anyway. But it was what he had to do. In his mind there were no two ways about it. It was the only way to keep Sam safe. Well, not entirely true. This was probably going to hurt her terribly. But it was the only way Jack could see the whole mess being resolved. He knew Sam would understand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will shortly be beginning our descent into Washington where the weather is clear…" The captain's words began to filter out in Jack's mind as his heart rate began to quicken.

'Don't screw this up Jack,' he thought nervously. But he knew Simon would have already guessed what was going on. If Sam was unharmed by the time he got back, it would be a miracle.

* * *

Barrett nearly jumped out of his skin on seeing Jack sat in the chair in front of his desk. He'd only gone out to fetch a cup of coffee. 

"General," he said in surprise. "What can I do for you?"

Jack looked nervous, something Barrett had never seen in him before.

"We've got a little problem," Jack informed him, aware of the blatant understatement.

"We do?" Barrett answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Simon's back."

Barrett choked and spluttered hot brown liquid all down his white shirt.

"That's impossible," he said staring at the General. "I shot him myself. He went down like a lead weight."

Jack shook his head and explained about the bullet proof vest Simon had been wearing. He told him about the 'new assignment' he had to do and about the danger he was placing Sam in by just being there. Barrett sat and listened intently. His face showing more and more despair as the tale continued.

"And now he wants me to go after General Frakes," Jack concluded.

Barrett sat back in his chair. It was a lot to take in at once; not least the fact that Jack had known about Simon before any of them.

"So what do we do?" he said at last. "He's bound to find out that you came here and didn't go to Frakes."

Jack nodded. "I think he would have guessed I'd do it right from the beginning. He's not stupid."

"So that puts Colonel Carter in danger," Barrett pointed out.

Jack winced. It wasn't something he wanted to dwell on. But Barrett was right.

"That's why we have to act quickly," Jack said, fixing Barrett with a determined look. "He won't kill her," he continued. "She's the only lee-way he has over me and so he won't jack it in so quickly. He needs her alive if he wants me to go through with this." And if he actually wanted to keep his own pulse going, Jack thought, but didn't add out loud.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Barrett queried.

* * *

Sam switched the ignition to her car off. Carefully, so not to over work her chest, she opened the door and stepped out, dragging the three bags of grocery shopping with her as she went. It took a little more effort than her battered lungs wanted to use and so she was forced to lean on the top of her car to catch her elusive breath before proceeding into her house. 

It had been two weeks since Simon had been taken down and the wounds he had left behind were still painfully letting her know they were there. In another couple of weeks, she was sure they would be nothing but scars, but for now they were still very much with her. As were the nightmares.

Every time she closed her eyes, her mind pulled out all the stops to remind her of what she had done to General Gibson. The look on his face was burned into the back of her mind, leaving behind marks that would last longer than of the physical scars Simon had given her. She still couldn't believe that she'd once called that man her friend. She trusted him! For years he was her co-pilot the one person she knew she could depend on to keep her safe. And now this.

Sam carefully balanced her grocery as she turned the key in her front door. Once inside, she headed straight for the kitchen to unpack her load.

On her way past the answering machine, she mindlessly hit the 'play' button and listened carefully to the two messages there.

The first was from one of the nurses at the hospital, reminding her that she had a follow up appointment the next day to make sure her chest wound hadn't become infected.

The second caught her attention. Mainly because for the first ten seconds or so of it, there was nothing. Just muffled static.

Sam stopped what she was doing and listened hard, in case it was just a bad line and actually someone was trying to talk to her. As she listened, she heard something coming through the static. A song.

_Off we go into the wild blue yonder_

_Climbing high into the sun;_

_Here they come zooming to meet out thunder_

_At 'em boys give her the gun!_

It was an old Air Force song that she hadn't heard in years. This piqued her curiosity. But before long, the song faded back into static and Sam was left listening hard once again.

Then she heard something else. Not songs. Not even voices. Just a series of clicks and stops. There was a pattern to them. It didn't take long for her to realise it was Morse code.

Taking a pen and paper, she listened to the code and wrote it down, working it out as she went.

/… B

. / A

/. N

. G

"Bang?" she muttered to herself.

No sooner had she uttered the word, the machine suddenly erupted, spouting out flames and shattered pieces of the machine that had once sat there.

Sam stood and watched the burning wreck, completely mesmerised by the dancing fire, licking its way towards her ceiling.

'It couldn't be,' she thought. But it had his 'style' stamped all over it.

'But he's dead!' she rationalised. 'There's no way!'

As she stood in shock, looking at the mess, a large, strong hand wrapped tightly round her stomach. Another clamped hard over her mouth completely cutting off her ability to scream.

"Surprise," a voice said in her ear. She shuddered as she felt the hot breath slide down her neck.

It was him.

* * *

"That's insane!" Barrett shouted, cutting Jack short in his planning. 

"It's the best we've got. The more people we get in on this the better, and you know it," Jack retaliated.

"Yeah, but why not just go to the police. That's what they're there for!"

"Are you kidding me! Simon'd run rings round them. They don't have the training or the intell to take this lunatic down. We either do this with our own people or we do nothing and Carter dies. That's just not acceptable to me."

Jack's jaw line was so firmly set that if he'd gritted his teeth harder, they would have shattered. He was on the verge of begging Barrett for support and knew that given the situation, he would have gladly resorted to it.

"What about Frakes? We just gonna leave him open out there? What if Simon decides to actually do his own work for once?"

Jack thought for a moment. The man had a point. He couldn't be left on his own like this. He needed to be hidden again.

"You go to him," he said plainly.

"Me?"

"He's under NID protection, right? So go tell him he's gotta move again. In the mean time I'll get back and start pulling as many strings as I can from my end. I expect you to do the same once you've got Frakes."

With that, Jack stood up to leave. He'd already been there too long. He didn't know what sort of time frame Sam had here and he was damned if he was going to just leave her there while Barrett ummed and ahhed about getting his but in gear!

"Wait!" Barrett called him back. "Where am I gonna hide Frakes again?"

Jack simply shrugged.

"You'll think of something."

He didn't hang around any longer to hear anymore of Barrett's worries at the plan. He had enough worries going on as it was.

* * *

Sam tried to move in the iron-grip hold that Simon had over her. Every time she even twitched, her chest burned with pain from the way it was being treated. It was all she could do to keep from passing out entirely. 

"Well now," Simon said maliciously. "This was a twist you weren't expecting, isn't it?"

Sam could only whimper through the pain and the gloved hand over her face.

"What was that?" he asked, knowing full well that she hadn't had a chance to say anything at all.

At her pitiful response to him, Simon laughed. The sound vibrated through Sam like fear itself. He roughly pushed his knees against the back of her own, causing her to lurch forward. He used this momentum to keep her moving through the kitchen and into the living room.

The sight that greeted her there caught her completely off guard. Instead of her tidy, comfortable room there were computers, TV screens and cables running in every direction. You could hardly move in there without tripping over some piece of equipment. But the most alarming sight of all was the mass of tools set out on her coffee table, each looking like they could inflict great amounts of pain on a person (namely Sam).

Simon roughly manoeuvred Sam into the dining room chair he had situated right in front of the main TV screen in the room. She sat down, clutching her ribs, checking for any signs that the stitches might have pulled. She certainly felt like a good few had. But she wasn't allowed this comfort for long as Simon quickly took hold of her arms and duct-taped them to the sides of the chair.

"Got anymore clichés you wanna play out here?" she commented, hate rising through her veins as quickly as pain.

This earned her a swift back hand across her cheek. Suddenly, Simon wasn't so talkative. He seemed more interested in keeping her exactly where he needed her.

"You think no-one's gonna notice if I –" The TV clicking on cut her off in her tracks.

On the screen was an image of Jack's living room. Jack was sat on his couch watching his own TV while talking to someone on the phone. At a second glance, Sam recognised her own living room on his screen. She was there, reading one of her Physics commentaries. The images were clearly a few days old.

Once Simon was sure he had he full attention with the TV, he turned the volume up.

'Simple conundrum, Jack. Her or Frakes,' the voice on the phone said to Jack.

'If it were simple, it wouldn't be a conundrum, would it?' Jack said through gritted teeth.

Simon's tormenting laugh echoed through the TV set, making Sam's skin crawl.

'Going once…' Simon announced, controlling his glee. 'Going twice…'

Sam screwed her eyes shut. She didn't want to hear Jack's response.

'Alright,' he said, defeated. 'What do I do?'

Sam's heart sank on hearing him.

'You know how Sam got Gibson?' Simon asked slyly.

'Took him out from a first floor window with a Sound Suppressed Revolver Riffle,' he said mechanically.

'Yeah. Quite a nice shot as well. But that's not what I want you to do. That sort of thing's got me written all over it.'

'Trying to lay low, are we?' Jack said lazily.

'Something like that,' Simon replied. 'What we need for Frakes is something a little more… subtle.'

'Arsenic in the brandy type of thing?'

'No…more of a strangling him with razor wire type of thing.'

'That's subtle?' Jack said eventually.

Simon laughed. 'Yeah, I'll admit, it's a little extreme.'

With that, the TV was quickly switched off and Simon swung another chair round in front of Sam and sat down looking rather smug with himself.

"So," he said. "That just about brings you up to speed, ready for us to go into part two and the big finale."

Sam held her mouth tightly shut. She wasn't going to give him any sort of satisfaction in saying anything.

"Wanna hear it?" he paused briefly for a response from her he knew he wouldn't get. "OK, so Jacky boy gets sent off to the far away land of San Francisco to flush Frakes and save the day for our heroine Sam. But, being the awkward bastard that he is, Jack develops a little bit of a Jonah Complex and shoots off in the opposite direction."

Sam almost smiled on hearing of Jack's defiance. Despite the ramifications the action held for her.

"So, where does that leave us?" Simon continued. "Well, in running off to Barrett like that, he's quite effectively thrown you to the fishes instead of himself. Isn't that noble of him?"

"You won't get anything from me!" Sam spat venomously.

Simon smiled slyly. "I don't want anything from you, my love. Except maybe a few kicks."

From behind his back, Simon produced a device that at first looked like a simple remote control for a VCR. Then he pressed one of the buttons on it…

A bright flash of blue energy surged between two terminals at the top of it, hissing terribly at Sam. She could almost feel the electric heat coming of it from where she was sat.

Still grinning like a terrifying Bob Cat, Simon pressed the device against Sam's right knee cap and activated it again.

* * *

Author's Note: See you in chapter 3! Please R&R this one in the meantime. Thanx! 

P.S: Just thought I should put a little health warning on here! Please don't try any of what is written here at home! Chaos-Carter already has… take it from her, they work!

BTW, C-C, how's the leg!


	3. Recruitment

**STARGATE SG-1: House Arrest**

Summary: Sequel to "Operation Checkmate". It's Jack's turn to be in over his head…

Season: 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, yadda yadda.

Author's Note:

WARNING: Strong Language!

House Arrest: Chapter 3 – Recruitment

General Philip Frakes was completely oblivious to the chaos that was running rampant trying to keep him safe. As far as he was concerned, Simon Carnall was no longer a threat to him. The NID had taken care of that for him.

But his false sense of security had been somewhat knocked on its side ever since the black hearse-like car had pulled up on his drive that morning.

"General," the man in a rather smart black suit had said in greeting. "I'm Agent Barrett. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we have to move you to a more secure location."

Frakes stared at him in disbelief.

"I thought this was a secure location," he said, unwilling to give up the life he had been building up over the last twelve years.

"It was, sir. But I'm afraid Simon Carnall has caught up with us. I need you to come with me right away. I'll fill you in on the way."

Frakes was still unconvinced. "On the way to where?"

"Colorado Springs," Barrett said plainly.

* * *

It took longer for the elevator to reach sub-level 28 than it usually did, though Jack put that fact down to his own apprehension of where exactly he was going to begin. He hadn't been home in the last few days, and hadn't had much time for sleep either. But that was the least of his worries. 

What was on the top of his list, though, was his former second in command's safety.

Finally, the doors opened and the usually hubbub of the base drifted into view. Personnel wandered around and about him checking various science results with each other and greeting him as he made his way to his office.

"Morning, sir," Walter said following him from the control room up to his office. He was carrying a very large file with him (as always). "The chairman of the joint chiefs has asked if you'd call him right away –"

"That's very nice, Walter. Could you page Daniel and Teal'c? Tell them I need to speak to them right away," Jack barked, taking the file from the airman.

"Of course, sir. But the chairman said it was urgent," Walter insisted.

"So is this, airman," Jack replied resolutely, shutting the door to his office.

Jack sat down at his desk and started to trawl through the file with he had been given. Before long, there was a knock at his door.

"Yeah," he said.

Daniel and Teal'c entered, each sporting their own variations of confused expressions.

"You wanted to see us?" Daniel enquired.

Jack looked up at him. All of a sudden, he had no idea where to start. He assumed Sam had told them nothing about her exploits while he was 'out of it'. He sighed and looked at his teammates. This was going to take a lot for them to get their heads around.

"We've got a little bit of a problem," he started. But before he went any further, something in his file caught his attention.

At the back of the file was a clean white envelope with neat writing on the front of it.

'_Jack be nimble, Jack be quick_,' it said on it.

Hands shaking slightly, Jack opened it and pulled the contents out. His heart all but stopped at what he saw.

"No," he breathed. His face blanched and his hands shook as he flicked through the photographs.

They were of Sam. And they weren't a pretty sight. She was tied roughly with duct tape and was already sporting the tell tale signs of a beating. Her face was covered with welts and bruises. Her wrists were red raw with writhing against her restraints. The fabric of her jeans on her knees looked scorched and torn, showing burnt flesh beneath. But none of that compared to her eyes. They looked deadened, lifeless. Defeated.

He had done this to her.

Jack's first instinct was to burst into her house and beat the living crap out the bastard who had done this to her. But he couldn't. For all he knew, Simon could have had the whole house rigged to blow at any given moment.

The last photograph had been written on. 'Sam sends her regards' it read simply.

Daniel and Teal'c watched their friend and leader as he looked through the pictures.

"Jack, what's going on?" Daniel asked, wondering what Jack was looking at to cause such a reaction from him.

Jack looked up at them both and handed them the pictures.

Daniel nearly threw up when he saw what was being done to his friend. Teal'c looked equally perplexed, even for a Jaffa.

"He's trying to get to me," Jack said quietly.

"Of whom do you speak?" Teal'c asked, knowing that Daniel would want to know the same thing, but was unable so say anything from the shock of seeing the photos.

"Simon," Jack answered.

* * *

Barrett could tell it was going to be a long journey. After explaining the whole story to Frakes, he thought the General would show some sort of remorse for his actions all those years ago, since it was his deception that had sent Simon over the edge. But there was nothing! 

If anything, Frakes seemed quite pleased with the situation.

"And how is O'Neill taking this?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"Not well," Barrett answered, gritting his teeth slightly. He had only known the man for about an hour now and was just about ready to put Simon and the rest of them out of their misery. He was sure he could find a way to make it look like an accident.

Frakes smiled thinly. "And the girl? What sort of state is she in?"

Barrett looked up suddenly. Girl! "Colonel Carter," he enunciated. "Wasn't in a great shape after his first attempt. We don't know about now. He might have got to her already. We can't be sure."

He wanted to add something about the inappropriate nature of referring to someone like Sam as just a 'girl'. She was so much more than that. No mere 'girl' would have been able to survive the sort of mental torture Simon had put her through in the last few weeks. It took a certain degree of strength and character to come through that. And if Frakes persisted with belittling her, Barrett was really going to shoot the bastard! It would certainly solve a few problems.

"Oh, he'll have her by now," Frakes mused, completely unaware of Barrett's fury. "You can pretty much guarantee that… I suppose O'Neill doesn't know that I'm just going to show up on his door step?"

Barrett winced slightly. "No," he admitted. But then, Jack hadn't specified where they were to hide Frakes. And who would ever think to look for him right under Simon's nose? It made some sort of sense to take him to the SGC. He only hoped he wasn't the only one who thought that.

"I must admit," Frakes said, looking wistfully out of the window. "It'll be quite something to finally see this Stargate contraption. You know I recommended Colonel O'Neill for that place?"

"No I didn't," Barrett replied, not really impressed by the fact. "And it's General O'Neill now."

Frakes looked surprised. "Is it really? Well, well. This day is full of surprises."

Barrett looked at him with curiosity. Ever since he had explained the whole story to him, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Frakes than he was letting on. There was a slight shine in the back of his eyes that suggested a certain amount of hidden knowledge. It certainly didn't help in trusting the guy. And didn't bode well for explaining his arrival in Colorado Springs. He knew Jack could read people like open books. There was no way this guy would slip beneath the radar. A point that was bound to unnerve the General somewhat. But it was too late to change that now.

Barrett looked out of his own window, trying not to think about what Frakes could possibly be hiding. His stomach lurched slightly as he recognised the Air Force landing strip they were headed for stretch out beneath them. They were here. There was no way out of it now.

* * *

Daniel felt like his head was going to explode with the over-load of information that Jack was feeding into it. He had heard some of the story before in the NID report of how Sam had ended up with a bullet in her chest. But he had no idea how far the whole affair worked its way into both Sam and Jack's lives. 

"And he's got her now?" he asked.

Jack nodded, unable to speak or even look at the horrified expression on the Archaeologist's face. It was too much to deal with his own guilt for what was happening to her without adding Daniel's shock to it.

"And he's gonna keep up things like this," He indicated the pictures, "until you go and kill Frakes?"

Jack nodded. "The reason he's there at the moment is because I've already had one chance to do it and went to Barrett instead."

Daniel's eyes widened considerably. "What! Why the hell did you do that? Didn't you think about what might happen to her!"

"As a matter of fact, yes I did!" Jack snapped. "I thought about it a lot! And believe me, _Daniel_. It's nearly killing me to sit here and do nothing at the moment, but there is nothing I can do! I don't need you to remind that this is my fault! I know! OK!"

Daniel sat back slightly as Jack stood up to pace the space behind his desk. He rubbed the bridge of his nose nervously.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said eventually. "I shouldn't have laid this on you like that." He was mentally kicking himself for what he'd said. He knew what Sam meant to Jack. Of course he would have thought about her before acting.

"It's alright. You're right. I should never have let it come to this," Jack said heavily.

Before they could go further, there was a knock at the door and Walter gingerly stuck his head around the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir. Agent Barrett's here," he said.

Jack nodded in response. Walter moved aside and allowed the NID Agent to enter along with his companion.

"General," Barrett said in greeting.

"You brought him _here_?" Jack fumed on seeing Frakes. "Have you completely lost you mind?"

"Well where else was he going to hide?"

"I don't know… Timbuktu!"

Frakes smiled at his former subordinate. "Relax Jack," he said smoothly. "I'm sure you'll find a way to put up with me and still get your girl back."

Jack wasn't sure he was entirely happy hearing him refer to Sam as his 'girl'. But he was too pissed off to say anything then.

"Besides," Frakes continued. "I want to help take Carnall down."

* * *

Author's Note: Hope it's not too cruel to leave it there (though that's not the worst cliff hanger I've ever left y'all with!). Don't forget to review! And I'll get on with chapter 4! Thanx. 


	4. Call My Bluff

**STARGATE SG-1: House Arrest**

Summary: Sequel to "Operation Checkmate". It's Jack's turn to be in over his head…

Season: 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, yadda yadda.

Author's Note: Hope you guys aren't squeamish! This chapter gets a little graphic. Hope it's not too bad for you! Please R&R as always. Thanx. Enjoy!

WARNING: Strong Language!

House Arrest: Chapter 4 – Call My Bluff

Sam sat tied to the chair, still completely unable to free herself from the miles of duct tape wrapped around her wrists. In the quite morning light, she tried once more to move her restraints. They had already rubbed the skin on her wrists raw, but it was the only way she could get away from Simon. As she struggled, she felt the tape cut deeper into her wrists.

"Ah! Damnit!" she cursed, feeling more blood seep over her hand. This was not good, but she wasn't going to give up. Simon was off somewhere else in her house at that moment and she wasn't going to waste the time alone on feeling sorry for herself.

She could hear him pacing about in the spare room, above the living room. He was shouting at someone. Probably someone on the phone. Probably Jack, she thought…

* * *

"He's gone!" Jack said, pleased at how much this was going to get at Simon. "We've got him hidden somewhere you'll never find him again." 

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "You're bluffing," Simon said simply. "You'd never put Sam on the line like that. I know you Jack. This is no time to be growing a back bone."

"What else was I gonna do? Just leave him there? How do I know you wouldn't just send someone else to kill him, then get rid of both me and Sam?"

Simon was furious, Jack could tell. He was gradually losing his leverage – even if that little point was putting Sam in more danger. If he totally lost hold of everything, there was no telling what he'd do to her. People with nothing to lose tended to be a little… unpredictable.

"Look, the point is," Jack continued. "If you want to get your hands on Frakes, your gonna have to –"

"Don't you dare make demands off me!" Simon snapped, cutting Jack off.

"OK," Jack said simply. "Good luck getting hold of Frakes on you own then."

He hung up and turned to look at the people gathered in his office. Daniel and Barrett looked completely aghast at what he had just done.

"What?" Jack asked innocently.

"Are you _trying_ to get her killed!" Daniel asked, his eyes fixed hard on Jack.

"No," Jack replied. "I'm trying to get her back. Once he realises he can't get hold of Frakes, he might just be up to an exchange."

"An exchange?" Barrett queried. "So he hands Sam over and we just throw Frakes away to be killed?"

Jack rolled his eyes. Did he really have to be the only one with a brain here? (Though it did make a change!).

"No. We tell him our terms," he said. "We say we want her back, then we tell him where Frakes is."

"We take him down at the exchange," Frakes offered, getting the gist of what Jack was saying.

"Thank you!" Jack said, though at the moment, he wasn't happy having his ex-CO around one little bit.

* * *

Sam stopped fidgeting. From right above her, she heard an almighty crash. As if something had just been launched at the far wall. It was followed by a series of other deafening thuds as Simon rampaged upstairs. 

"Shit!" she heard him curse. "God damnit! FUCK!"

She smiled slightly to herself, thinking of the number of ways Jack could have ticked him off like this. Her reverie was short lived, however, as she soon heard him bounding down the stairs.

Simon burst into the living room, his eyes blazing with fury. He roughly took hold of a clump of her hair and yanked her head upwards.

"Seems Jack's trying to make up some new rules to the game," he said, his voice full of hate.

"Good for him," Sam answered; provoking him further maybe wasn't a good idea, but she didn't care.

As she thought he might, he slapped her hard across the face. So hard, that the chair she was bound to nearly toppled over and she felt the slight metallic taste of blood in her mouth where she had bitten the inside of her own cheek.

Simon pulled her back round to look at him, holding her chin in a vice-like grip.

"If I waned back chat, I'd have bought a fucking parrot," he hissed.

Sam held her tongue.

Finally, he let go of her face. Sam moved her jaw for a moment, checking it wasn't broken. It wasn't. Yet.

She watched as he worked around his various monitors. The screen in front of her suddenly jumped into life. Instead of a view of Jack's living room, it showed several different views of the room she was sat in.

"That's what Jack can see," Simon explained moving to stand in front of her, the Tazer clutched in his hand. It pulsed menacingly, turning Sam pale remembering the pain of 240 volts of electricity pulsing through her knee.

She tried to draw back from him, but there was nowhere for her to go.

"This one's from Jack," he said.

The Tazer made contact with her elbow, sending its charge screaming through her arm. Sam felt as if it was being wrenched from her body one sinew at a time. Every nerve in her arm was screaming in agony, tensing and ripping muscle tissue at the same time. She could feel her skin burning and breaking the longer he held the device to her.

Finally, a scream escaped her lips as the pain became too much for her to bare in silence. Simon switched the Tazer off and Sam gasped for breath, working through the residual pain that was left in her arm.

"It'll take more than that to make him change his mind," she said in short breaths.

"You think so?" Simon said, looking over her. "Well that's just too bad for you."

"You'll have to kill me before you get anywhere near to what you want."

Simon crouched down in front of her and roughly took hold of her Tazer-damaged arm. Sam hissed in pain as his fingers worked their way into every burn.

"Let's hope, for your sake that he comes round before that, eh?" he said.

Sam couldn't speak. The pain he was provoking in her arm was too much to allow her brain to comprehend anything else. As his grip on her loosened, she just held back the urge to throw up.

Before long, he started off on her again. This time picking on her shoulder.

* * *

"I'm still not sure about this," Daniel informed Jack as they arrived at his house. 

"Simon's got a live feed from Sam's house to my TV. If we want to see what's going on there, this is our best chance of doing it," he replied, sounding very militaristic, and not like himself at all.

"Well that's fine," Daniel reasoned. "But what if he's got your house under surveillance?"

Jack stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't thought of that. He looked at Daniel for a moment, then turned his attention to the two men behind him.

"Hey, Barrett!" he called. "Get Frakes back to the base, will you?" he barked.

The two of them looked bewildered for a moment.

"Why?" Frakes enquired. "I thought we agreed I was going to help out."

"And I'm sure we'll be able to find something for you to do at the base," Jack answered back. "But if Carnall is watching here, how exactly does that keep you hidden?"

Before Frakes could say anything else, Barrett turned him around and almost forced him back into the car.

Jack, Daniel and Teal'c continued into the house.

"What exactly do you plan to do here, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked once he was inside.

"Well, I think maybe we should take a look for any hidden cameras. Then we need to keep an eye on what's going on at Sam's."

He stepped into the living room after Daniel and nearly fell over him when he stopped dead in the middle of the floor.

Jack followed his friend's eye line to the TV set.

"I didn't touch anything," Daniel said, sounding distant. "It came on by itself."

Jack moved around him and sank onto the couch, seeing the images of Sam writhing in agony from the electricity being pumped into her right shoulder. He wanted to look away, but couldn't. This was meant for him. It should have been him sat in that chair. Not her.

Suddenly the set flicked off and Jack jumped back to reality.

"What you do that for!" Jack snapped at Teal'c, who was stood behind him with the remote.

"We can not help her by simply watching her suffer," he said. "We have things to do here."

Without another word, Teal'c turned and left the room, leaving Jack and Daniel staring at the blank screen.

"He's watching us in here," Daniel said. "He must have seen us coming in and set the TV off."

Jack – still unable to think entirely rationally – nodded. "Then I guess we start in here," he said standing up.

He looked a lot more composed than he felt.

* * *

Frakes walked down the long, concrete corridors of the SGC, fascinated that he was actually here at all. He had heard many stories of this place over the years. But none of them compared to actually being there. Not after what they had worked towards for so long. 

It didn't bother him that he wasn't able to, at this point, keep an eye on how Jack was coping with Carter's abduction. He had a fair idea of what the scene would look like and it made him laugh at the irony of it all. Who would have thought Jack O'Neill would fall for a scientist! He wondered if the feelings were mutual. Though given her efforts to keep him alive over the last few weeks, he rather suspected they were.

Well, that suited Frakes just fine. It made his job a hell of a lot easier.

The only problem he could see at that moment was that all these damned halls looked the same. He felt like he was going round in circles. How hard was it to find Archives in a place like this!

"General Frakes?" a voice behind him caught his attention.

Frakes turned around to see Airman Walter Harriman stood behind him.

"Sir, can I help you at all?" he asked, looking perplexed.

Frakes glanced around himself wondering what was so wrong with his current location.

"I'm looking for your Archives," he said plainly.

Walter looked at him with an eye of suspicion. "They're on level 14. May I ask why you're looking for them?"

Frakes smiled. "It's something for General O'Neill," he replied cryptically, before turning and heading to the nearest elevator.

Walter watched him leave and couldn't help feeling that he had just given something vital away. There was something about the General that just didn't sit right.

On level 14, Frakes all but locked himself in the room with the thousands of files detailing past activity and experiments that had been conducted on the base.

"Right," he muttered to himself, scanning along for files dated 1994 and after. "Let's see how you've been getting on."

If he was going to be stuck in this town against his will, he was at least going to make use of the time.

* * *

Simon had kept his punishment up well into the small hours of the next morning, before Sam passed out from pain and sheer exhaustion. By that point, there was barely an inch of skin on her arms that wasn't bruised or burnt. But she still managed to escape it all into the wonder of unconsciousness. 

There, her mind protected itself in the only way it knew how. It reached out through every thought and memory to find something she could cling to for hope. It found two things.

The first was her mother, and the way she had cradled Sam and rocked her back to sleep after a nightmare. It had been a long time since she had been afraid of the dark. At the moment, it was the days that she feared. Night brought her release. Brought her to her mother's welcoming, comforting arms. And she was a child again.

The second was Jack. She dreamed of him saving her. Setting her free from the nightmare she was in.

She dreamed of him smiling at her. She dreamed of him loving her. Kissing away all the hurt in her life. She dreamed of waking in his arms and kissing him good morning.

She dreamed of him begging for her forgiveness for what was happening. And of her smiling at him and telling him it wasn't his fault. She dreamed of his embrace shielding her from the world.

She dreamed of his eyes watching over her as she made her way through her ordeal. She dreamed of him telling her it would be alright. That he would be with her till it was over. That he would come for her. That he would protect her. Always that he would protect her. He was her knight in shining armour (or camouflage Army Fatigues at least).

'Hold on,' he told her.

And she intended to. It was all she knew how to do, but hearing it from him made her more determined. Simon was going to pay for what he was doing to her. He was going to make sure of that!

In the world of her subconscious, morning never came and she could stay in this reverie for ever. But reality always ripped through her dreams and threw her back into daylight. Back to Simon.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," Simon cooed.

Sam sluggishly opened her eyes, but was still too exhausted to actually stay awake. Her eyes quickly shut again.

Simon scowled slightly and threw the ice-cold bucket of water he was holding at her. Its contents washed over her, startling her back to consciousness. Her lungs contracted in shock, aggravating her wound. But she didn't have enough time to bring her mind back from its disoriented state. Simon swung the empty bucket around and slammed it into the side of her head.

It dazed her but didn't knock her out fully, though she wished it had.

"Sleep well?" Simon asked with no sympathy in his voice what so ever.

Sam pulled her dwindling strength together and was able to hold back a wave of tears that threatened to give her away for the broken wreck he had reduced her to. She couldn't give him that satisfaction.

* * *

Author's Note: I think that's the worst of the torture over (I'll warn you if there's more graphic stuff to come!). Please review! Thanx. 


	5. Incentive

**STARGATE SG-1: House Arrest**

Summary: Sequel to "Operation Checkmate". It's Jack's turn to be in over his head…

Season: 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, yadda yadda.

Author's Note: Soooooooooooo sorry this has taken so long to be posted! But life happened. And now for a different kind of torture – just to let you know, this one's a little cruel! You'll see what I mean. Please R&R as always. Thanx. Enjoy!

WARNING: Strong Language!

House Arrest: Chapter 5 – Incentive

The cool breeze and the mid-afternoon sun were idyllic. Jack could feel every muscle in his aching arms relaxing, despite his work. He had been meaning to fix the porch for some time now. Most of the beams had warped in the extreme cold of the Minnesota winter and were damn near unwalkable.

"You nearly done?" a voice drifted to him from the front of the house. Walking towards him, carrying two tempting glasses of Lemonade, was Sam.

She looked more beautiful to him then than she ever had before. She was wearing as simple, plain white summer dress that came to just bellow her knees. It kicked up slightly as she walked, exposing just a little more of her well tanned and toned legs. He watched as she gracefully walked towards him, stepping round various tools that lay in her way.

His concentration was completely gone as she made her way towards him, captivating him in her simple elegance.

The moment was rather unceremoniously broken as he idly swung his hammer round and, instead of hitting the nail placed between his fingers, he hit his thumb.

Jack cursed under his breath as Sam stifled a laugh.

"Well what did you expect!" she chided, sounding like Jack's mother. "How far did you think you were gonna get like that?"

Jack looked down at his hands. They were bound tightly together with grey duct-tape that was digging into his wrists. On the decking in front of him were the pictures of Sam at the mercy of Simon.

Sam came and sat down next to him, placing the glasses of Lemonade to one side. She took hold of his hands and started to carefully unravel the tape keeping them together.

"Really, Jack. You can't keep torturing yourself like this," she said to him. "This isn't your fault."

"Yes it is," Jack replied, his gaze completely fixed on her face as she concentrated on the tangle of tape around his hands.

As he watched her, a cut appeared on her bottom lip. It didn't bleed. It was just there. As if it had been for days. Then a bruise appeared by her left temple and spread across her cheekbone.

Finally, his hands were free. He cautiously reached up and touched the bruise on her cheek.

"What did I do to you?" he gasped in horror.

Sam smiled. "It'll fade," she said, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

Her touch was warm and soothed the pain in his battered thumb. But that pain was nothing compared to what he felt seeing the telltale signs of torture written across her face.

"I miss you," Jack said suddenly.

Sam looked confused.

"I miss seeing you around everyday," he clarified.

Sam smiled sympathetically at him. She leaned across and wrapped her arms around him, her chin resting in the crook of his neck.

She sighed. Her hot breath tickled his neck, teasing his senses with the closeness of their bodies.

In turn, Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, not wanting to ever let her go.

"You'll figure it out," she whispered into his ear, placing a small kiss on his cheek.

With that, she pulled out of his embrace. She stepped away from him. It was only now that Jack noticed the bruises and burns that covered her arms and knees.

"You'd better get back to that," she said, gesturing to the decking. Jack glanced back at the pictures.

"Don't keep me waiting," she added, turning at last and walking back along the porch and out of sight.

Jack watched her leave. When she was finally hidden from view, he looked back at the deck. Back at the pictures. At the look of defeat in her eyes.

He couldn't stand it anymore. He picked them all up and tossed them to the wind…

* * *

Jack woke with a start, his heart drumming against his rib cage. His head buzzed in a state of limbo between full consciousness and the dream world he had been in. He glanced across at the alarm clock beside his bed. It was just gone 6am. Still another half an hour before it was due to wake him. But he was awake now. 

Grumbling to himself, he got up and headed down stairs. He checked the answer machine in case the base had called. Thankfully they hadn't. Then, without thinking, he flicked the TV on.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Simon stood over Sam. She was gasping for breath, her hair and clothes completely drenched in water. She pulled herself straight again and looked Simon in the face, just in time for him to swing the empty bucket he was holding. It connected hard with the left side of her face.

Jack's fists tightened. It was all he could do to keep from launching the TV across the room. But he couldn't do that. It was his only way to see what was happening.

On the screen, Simon walked away from her. Jack crouched down, close to the set and ran his fingers over the image of Sam as she fought her hardest to keep tears away from her eyes. She looked absolutely helpless. A look Jack didn't like to see in her at all.

"Don't worry," he whispered, though she couldn't hear him. "I'm coming for you."

* * *

There had been two cameras in Jack's house. One was in his living room, the other in his kitchen. They had also located several bugging devices planted around that would catch anything the cameras missed. But Frakes was still banned from the house, just in case they had missed any devices. 

Instead, he had been confined to the base for the time being and everything Jack was planning was being co-ordinated from his office. This wasn't ideal as it denied him the chance to watch the situation at Sam's house. Without that advantage, it would be virtually impossible to fully comprehend what was happening.

But he had to work with what he had. Which wasn't much.

"You alright?" Daniel asked, entering his office.

Jack looked up from the file on his desk. "I guess," he replied.

Daniel sat down, knowing full well that Jack wasn't telling him the whole truth.

"You wanna talk about it?" Daniel asked cautiously.

Jack looked up at him, his eyes conveying the answer he was willing to give. In actuality, he wanted to hit the gym and take out his rage at Simon on a punch bag. Then again, he could just head straight round to Sam's place and beat the shit out of him in person. But that sort of thinking was getting them nowhere.

"Frakes is getting jumpy," Daniel continued. "He says you should have done something by now. That's why I'm here. It was the only way to shut him up."

"Frakes can go jump off a cliff for all I care," Jack answered looking back down at the file on his desk.

Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But he's right!" he said suddenly. "Well, sort of… Jack, we have to do something."

Jack looked up sharply. "I know that. But he's kinda got us over a barrel at the moment."

Daniel sighed. "There has to be a way."

He watched Jack for a moment. After all these years, he knew how far he could be stretched. He was close to that limit at the moment. Daniel knew that he had to proceed carefully with him.

"How is she looking?" he asked cautiously.

Jack stared silently at his desk for a moment. "Not good," he said eventually. "He's getting to her."

There was a slight waver in his voice as he spoke. Admitting he was losing was never easy. When it was her he was losing, it was worse.

"Then I suggest we get a move on," a voice came from by the door.

Both Jack and Daniel groaned inwardly seeing Frakes stood in the doorframe. He, unlike everyone else on the base, was looking fairly chipper. It was as if he was enjoying the whole thing. Like he was waiting for something to hit the fan, just to see what would happen.

"I didn't hear you knock," Jack said irritably.

"I didn't," Frakes answered him simply. "So the girl's caving, is she?"

Daniel thought he was going to have to physically restrain Jack from launching at Frakes. If looks could kill, he would have been vaporised. "I hope you have something useful to add, Frakes," Jack hissed.

Frakes smiled and stepped fully into the room.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he said tossing the file he was carrying onto Jack's desk.

Jack eyed the document suspiciously.

"You want a better idea of what's going on there," Frakes explained. "This is the only way you're gonna get it."

Jack flicked through the pages he had been given.

"You gotta be kidding me. He'll kill her!" he said.

Frakes shrugged. "I admit it has its risks."

Jack stood up from behind his desk.

"Forget it!" he snapped. "She's been through enough already without us adding to the problem."

"You have another way of dealing with this?" Frakes retorted.

Jack stayed silent.

"Thought as much," Frakes quipped, a slight smile forming at the back of his eyes.

"We're not doing it," Jack said firmly.

Frakes paused for a moment. "OK then," he conceded. "You're in charge here. I can accept that."

He turned to leave, shutting the door behind him. He smiled broadly as he walked down the corridor, astonished at how easy Jack was making his job.

He knew full well Jack would never go for a hair brain scheme such as the one he had presented. Frakes himself would have been pushed to go through with it (even as a last option). But it confirmed so many questions Frakes had been mulling over.

But that didn't change anything. He had to do something. Had to take matters into his own hands. This was a unique opportunity that could not be passed up. It was unorthodox, yes. But most of what Frakes had been working on since 1991 had been.

And since Jack was so bent on being the hero for his beloved Colonel, Frakes felt it was only fair he upped the stakes a little and gave the man some real incentive to work with.

At last, in the labyrinth of concrete hallways, Frakes reached his quarters. He quickly shut himself in the room, grateful for the privacy he had been allowed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he picked up the phone and dialled.

"Hello?" The phone was answered quickly.

"Simon?" Frakes said cordially. "I think it's about time you and I had a little chat."

* * *

Author's Note: And my cruel side is back! See y'all in Chapter 6! Don't forget to review. Thanx! 


	6. Cross Fire

**STARGATE SG-1: House Arrest**

Summary: Sequel to "Operation Checkmate". It's Jack's turn to be in over his head…

Season: 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, yadda yadda.

Author's Note: OK, hold onto your hats folks! This one gets a little hairy! Please R&R as always. Thanx. Enjoy!

WARNING: Strong Language! Also kinda violent.

House Arrest: Chapter 6 – Cross Fire

There was a silence on the other end of the line that made Frakes smile. He could just imagine Simon standing absolutely bone-rigid with fury at his call.

"I guess you're wondering why I'm calling," he said as politely as possible.

Still no reply.

"Well, I just wanted to check in," Frakes continued. "You see, I heard about your little crusade of revenge – you've got General O'Neill to thank for that little tip off – and I couldn't help but see –"

"Where are you?" Simon said at last, cutting Frakes off mid-sentence.

"I'm nowhere you'll find me, that's for sure," he answered. "O'Neill's been gracious enough to keep me out of harms way."

"So you thought you'd gloat a bit?"

Frakes smiled. "Not at all, my friend. You see, I've got a little… proposition for you."

"Go to hell!" Simon snapped.

"Now, now. Don't go leaping to the wrong conclusions here. I can help you… if you help me."

"I'll help you right off a cliff and that's all."

"Just hear me out," Frakes insisted. "Then you can decide."

* * *

Simon came storming back into the living room, his eyes and cheeks flushed with absolute, burning rage. In his hand was a knife. 

Sam drew back in her chair, fearing the man striding towards her. If she could have, she would have run. He stopped in front of her, his body towered over her cowering form.

Sam stared at him, defiant despite her feelings of terror at his presence. He back handed her across the face, jarring her teeth together as her head whipped around at the force of the blow.

He was very good at that, she thought. Though he usually did it for kicks. This time, as she drew her gaze back to him, rage was written all over his face.

There was no way this could be good, she realised, biting back the quip that threatened to trip off her tongue. The last thing she wanted to do was tick him off further. Especially considering the knife.

"Jack's playing his own game now, is he?" he hissed rhetorically, his eyes blazing with mad fury.

Sam shrank down in her chair as he lifted the knife.

"We'll see about that," he said. The knife dropped towards her.

She shut her eyes, bracing herself in anticipation of what he was going to do. Her mind raced. This was it. Whatever Jack had done now, it had tipped the balance.

'Don't let him blame himself for this,' she thought, knowing in her heart that that was exactly what he would do.

Instead, she forgave him. For whatever. And hoped he'd still be able to stop Simon before he got to anyone else.

She said goodbye to him. And she waited. But there was no pain.

Cautiously she opened her eyes. Simon stood over her the knife still hovering threateningly over her, but his face was undecided. Finally he moved.

He knelt down in front of her and cut through the duct tape around her wrists.

Sam stared in amazement as he eased the tape from around her battered wrists. He stepped away from her, turning his back as he went. His hand, still clutching the knife, ran nervously through his hair.

Sam watched him for a moment, completely stunned by his actions. Half of her wanted to ask what was wrong. She suddenly found herself seeing her old friend in the monster who had imprisoned her in her own home. He looked scared. Alone. Confused. A man completely at the end of his tether with nothing left to lose.

But he wasn't her friend. Not anymore. The man she had known would never have resorted to such actions. And even now, the Simon in front of her, no matter how confused he seemed, was still unpredictable and she had to act when opportunities arose.

Like now.

After her moment's hesitation, Sam bolted.

Her sight was set straight on the door. If she could make that, the front door was a matter of feet away. She'd be free.

She was nearly there when an iron strong arm clamped around her waist and hauled her backwards as if she weighed nothing more than a rag doll.

Simon's force threw her to the floor, via a table and several chairs, each adding to the collection of bruises on her arms legs and hips.

She took a moment to regain her bearings before she could get up. By the time she did, Simon was blocking the exit, his eyes once again burning with hate and rage.

Sam tried to crawl backwards away from him as he advanced towards her again.

She pulled everything she could lay her hands on into his path. Chairs. Equipment. She even tipped her neatly organised bookshelf in the hope it would slow him down.

But nothing worked; he just kept coming at her.

Finally, Sam hit a wall. She had nowhere else to go as Simon loomed over her. He picked her up roughly by the neck, squeezing just a little tighter than was necessary. His fingers worked their way into the sinews of her neck.

She gasped for breath, her hands helplessly pulling at the vice-like grip he had on her.

He raised the knife.

"You're not getting away so easily, my dear," he said maliciously. "Jack's gonna pay big this time."

He slashed the side of her face. A shallow line of red appeared where he cut.

Sam winced, feeling the warm blood trickle down her cheek and towards his fingers. Sharp spots of light began to dance before her eyes as her vision tunnelled. She could feel her limbs grow heavy as her air was restricted even more.

At last, her arms fell limp to her side and her eyes rolled back into her head as she lost consciousness and fled the pain.

Simon held her where she was for a moment before dropping her to the floor. He watched her fall and crumple to a heap on the floor, her lips a slight shade of blue.

He tried to feel sorry for her, to feel some sense of remorse for what he was putting her through. But he couldn't. There was too much raw hate in him to spare any space for sympathy.

* * *

Teal'c had called the base to report no more bugging devices had been found in Jack's house. Within minutes of this news, Jack had moved everything back there where they could keep an eye on what was happening. 

The second he walked through the door, he heard the phone ringing. He sprinted into the kitchen to answer it, knowing full well who it would be.

"Funny thing happened today, Jack," Simon said to him down the line. He sounded closer to the edge than usual.

"Got a phone call," he continued. "From Frakes."

Jack bit his tongue hard. He was going to kill the bastard.

"Seems you've got him nicely hidden away somewhere. So, I've got something for you now." He paused for a moment. "You either get Frakes to me or kill him yourself before the end of the week, or I kill Sam for you. How does that sound?"

"Not going to happen," Jack replied. "I'm not doing anything you ask until I know Sam's safe."

Simon went quiet on the line.

"Let her go, Simon. She's got nothing to do with this," Jack pleaded.

Nothing.

Jack could hear shuffling noises over the phone, but no-one spoke.

"Simon!" he shouted, trying to get his attention back.

But it wasn't Simon who replied.

"Sir?" the voice said. She sounded groggy, like she'd just come round after being drugged or knocked out.

"Sam!" Jack exclaimed in relief. He wanted to cry. Just hearing her voice lifted his spirit, but he still couldn't get past how desolate she sounded.

He heard her sob and it broke his heart.

"I'm coming for you," he said. He hoped it sounded reassuring.

"I know you are," she replied. He could hear her trying to steady her voice. "But, you might want to be getting a move on that."

Jack half laughed at her comment, sure evidence of how much influence he had had on her over the years. He doubted she would have made jokes in a crisis before he met her.

"I'm so sorry," he said quietly.

"It's not your fault." She sounded genuine, but he still didn't believe her. "Jack, whatever happens, don't blame yourself for what's happening. I trust you. I know you're doing everything you can."

Jack really didn't like the way she was talking – especially with the use of his first name. She sounded like someone who had already given up everything except her last breath.

"Just hang on," he said. "That's an order."

"Yes s –"

He words were cut off and all he could hear was more shuffling on the line.

"Sam!" he called. He hated not knowing what was happening.

"JACK!" Daniel called from the living room.

Clutching the phone, Jack ran to see what was going on. He entered the living room and stopped dead in his tracks, seeing the expressions on the faces of everyone gathered there. Even Teal'c looked worried.

Jack pushed through them to see the TV set. He sank to the floor seeing Sam there on her knees.

"NO!" he cried, as if it would change things.

Simon was stood behind her, holding a rope tight around her neck. She struggled against him, the rope rubbing large red welts on her throat. The phone had fallen to the floor beside her.

Before long, Sam's resistance began to weaken. At this point, Simon let her go. She slumped to the floor, coughing and clutching her neck. She gasped for breath.

Simon picked up the fallen phone. Jack raised his to his ear.

"You've got two days," he said plainly. The line went dead.

Jack watched as Simon moved around Sam and roughly kicked her in the stomach where she lay. He walked off in rage, leaving her curled and broken on the floor.

White hot anger erupted in Jack. He turned to Frakes, who stood behind him.

"You asshole!" he said, launching at him. He hit out hard against Frakes' jaw.

"You'd better have one fucking good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!" He hit him again.

"O'NEILL!" Teal'c warned behind him.

"He tipped him off!" Jack answered back, not taking his blazing eyes off Frakes.

For his part, Frakes looked as if he was almost enjoying Jack's out burst. Despite being beaten on.

"Jack, this isn't going to help!" Daniel reasoned.

But Jack was beyond reason by this point. He swung his arm back for another blow, but he was stopped by the enormous weight of Teal'c pulling him backwards.

He struggled in the Jaffa's grasp and nearly got free, until Daniel joined him and the two of them dragged him from the room and back into the kitchen.

"Right," Daniel said forcefully. "Now get a grip!"

"He called him!" Jack repeated in disbelief. "That bastard that we've been protecting! He –"

He couldn't finish his own sentence, he was so infuriated. He shoved his hands through his hair as he paced around a small area of floor.

"He's gonna kill her," he said quietly.

"We'll think of something," Daniel reassured him.

"In two days?"

"Have faith, O'Neill. We shall get Colonel Carter back," Teal'c said, trying to calm his friend down.

Jack shook his head. "At this rate, we'll get her back in instalments!" He sank onto one of the kitchen stools, unable to hold his own weight and the weight of guilt he felt.

He looked up at Daniel, his eyes suddenly full of pain.

"I can't lose her like that," he said.

Daniel smiled sympathetically. He knew what she meant to him.

"Don't worry," he said. "You won't."

On the other side of the door, Frakes smiled. Even though his deal had been turned down, the other half of his plan was working like a charm. At this rate, there would be no way he could lose.

* * *

Author's Note: OK, everybody breathe again! And don't forget to review! 


	7. Priority One

**STARGATE SG-1: House Arrest**

Summary: Sequel to "Operation Checkmate". It's Jack's turn to be in over his head…

Season: 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, yadda yadda.

Author's Note: So, the penultimate chapter of the penultimate story in the series… Hope you like (as ever!) and hope y'all are looking forward to part three (when I get round to writing it, that it!). Please R&R as always. Thanx. Enjoy!

WARNING: Strong Language!

House Arrest: Chapter 7 – Priority One

Jack stared at the TV screen. How had it all come to this? Sam was asleep on the floor, where Simon had left her. She had spent the rest of the day there, crying most of the time. And Jack hadn't moved from watching over her. Just knowing it was all happening because of him compelled him to watch.

He wanted to see her at all times. To be there for her as much as he could. He only wished she knew he was there. Maybe that would give her the little extra strength she needed.

He knew if the scene was reversed and she was watching him, knowing she was there for him would make him feel as though he could fly.

"Watching like that won't help her, you know," a gruff voice came from behind him.

Jack turned around, in the direction of the voice, and saw Frakes leaning against the door post. His eye was sporting a rather impressive bruise. Jack turned back, intent on ignoring the man – not his favourite person at that moment in time.

Frakes entered the room, all the same.

"You know her well?" he asked, sitting on the arm chair near Jack.

Jack didn't respond; he kept watching Sam sleep.

"Course you do," Frakes answered himself. "She's your second in command. She's got spirit, I'll give her that," he added seeing the number of bruises and abrasions on her visible body.

"She's fighting for her life," Jack said coldly, seeing the pain on Sam's sleeping face.

"You mustn't blame yourself for this, Jack," Frakes stated, trying to sound sympathetic.

"I don't," Jack half lied. "I blame you."

Frakes looked at him in surprise.

"Me?" he queried.

"Yeah. You and Gibson."

Frakes understood. He turned his gaze away from his former subordinate. He should have known this was coming. Jack was a proud man and, no doubt, this was all knocking him sideways. Just how did he expect to cope with the truth!

"There was no other way," Frakes said, excusing his actions.

"Yes there was! It's called honesty, Phil!" Jack retorted.

"Do you have any idea what they would have done to us if we told the truth? We'd have –"

"You'd have got a slap on the wrist and that's it! You know it!"

Frakes sighed. There was no way Jack could understand. Everything always had to be black and white for him. And this was so murky, it barely made sense to Frakes, himself, anymore. Sure, there probably had been another way around it. If they'd really looked hard enough and planned for weeks, something else was bound to have shown itself. But in war, everything falls to the spur of the moment. Plans change quickly because they have to.

"It was a long time ago, Jack."

Jack glared at him, an expression Frakes had seen directed at many gung-ho subordinates, never at him.

"Try telling that to her," he said simply.

Frakes' attention was drawn once again to the screen.

Simon had just entered the room and hauled the girl to her knees. He stalked threateningly around as she kept her sleep-heavy, defeated eyes fixed on the opposite wall. Simon moved behind her and kicked her hard between the shoulder blades. She fell forward, exhausted from the effort of keeping her composure.

Frakes honestly regretted her fate, but there was little he could do about it. They couldn't have known he was unbalanced enough to lose his mind completely because of their accusations.

"Why did you do it?" Jack asked, pulling Frakes back to the present.

"Do what?" he asked, genuinely confused at what he could mean.

"Why did you call him?"

Frakes hazarded a glance at Jack. His face was completely set. One muscle in his jaw flinched as he gritted his teeth. He couldn't be fobbed off.

But he wouldn't like the truth either. The whole truth at least.

"You sure you want to know?" Frakes ventured carefully.

Jack didn't move. That was answer enough.

Frakes took a deep breath…

"You remember the operation?" he began. "After it all went wrong, we panicked. Our whole careers had been staked on that mission, Jack. There was a lot to lose, believe me."

Jack just looked at him unsympathetically.

"We used Simon as the scapegoat. He'd already been questioned about an intell leak before. I'll bet your Colonel never told you about that, did she?"

"You're assuming she knew," Jack snapped back.

"Oh, she knew. She was his co-pilot. She was the one that defended him to the last. And he was innocent on that occasion –"

"And this," Jack reminded him. "You made up the charges after Checkmate."

Frakes smiled. "Yes we did. And it was pretty convincing evidence at that… We had every intention to warn him before hand that he was going to be dismissed. We were even going to compensate him. But we couldn't get to him before the charges were brought against him and after his dismissal, he disappeared. He only showed up long enough to try and kill us. We never got the chance to explain it to him."

Frakes watched Jack for a moment, trying to gauge whether his story was being bought. As usual, Jack's reaction was hard to judge. He was good at hiding things. Especially from people he didn't trust.

"I called him earlier in the hopes that I could talk him down. Give him what he rightfully deserved in exchange for letting the girl go."

Jack's fists tightened on hearing him refer to Sam as 'the girl' yet again.

"Let me guess," he said eventually. "It backfired?"

"I'll say!" Frakes quipped with humour in his voice. Jack wasn't impressed.

"It had the opposite effect, I'm afraid… If I'd known he was so unreasonable I wouldn't have tried, I promise you. I don't want this to end in more deaths."

Frakes was feeling rather impressed with himself. The story was certainly convincing enough, despite it falling far from the truth. Jack finally seemed to be accepting it, but still looked as mad as ever.

"You thought he could be reasoned with!" Jack spat, pointing angrily to the screen. Simon was pacing round Sam again. This time, she was curled on the floor trying to protect herself. Jack could see his lips moving as he taunted her; every so often landing a crippling kick into her abdomen.

"I thought I'd at least give him the benefit of the doubt!" Frakes defended.

Jack sighed and shook his head. He couldn't believe how naïve he was being.

"I swear to God, Frakes. If she dies…" he cut himself short, unable to fully articulate the rage that would be brought down on his former commander if the worst came to the worst.

Frakes looked at him in silence. He could see the hurt all over his face and body at the thought of losing her. Jack breathed quickly and shallowly trying to keep himself from breaking something in frustration. It was more than amusing for Frakes to watch. It was victory.

If he only knew how easy he was making things…

"You love her," Frakes said simply, barely masking the triumph in his voice.

Jack didn't respond. It was true. No amount of denial – whether outward or simply to himself – was going to change that fact.

Frakes let out a little laugh. "My goodness. The irony. Jack, you've got to be out of your mind!"

Jack turned his eyes to Frakes, slowly and deliberately. "You think I planned on falling for her!"

Frakes laughed out right this time. "This is priceless!" he cooed. "Of all the people… She's a scientist! I never would have…"

He stopped taunting only to laugh more at the sheer thought of them. And the thought of what it meant for him.

Jack just glared. His finger nails dug sharply into his palms as he tightened the grip on his fists. He really wanted rid of this man. Preferably in a nice, long wooden box! But he'd settle for anything at that point.

"You'd better take care, Jack," Frakes warned, finally controlling his amusement. "Things like this aren't exactly smiled on in your line of work. You want to watch who knows about it. Wouldn't want you to get into trouble, now, would we?"

He stood up and headed for the door. When he was nearly there, he stopped and turned to face Jack again.

"Just be careful, Jack," he said. "She's not the only thing at stake here."

Finally, he left. Jack shut his eyes in shame. He had slipped up. For years, he had been carefully negotiating his feelings for Sam, skirting around them, keeping her at arms length so neither of them were ever caught off guard. But nothing was hidden now. Not with her life so dangerously held on the line. His emotions had suddenly and spectacularly sprung to the surface.

And now Frakes knew. Jack could tell his words of caution would not be the end of the matter. It was the sort of thing that the old man could run with for months.

Even if they did get Sam back, with Frakes still around, this wouldn't be over. Not by a long shot.

'She's not the only thing at stake here.' He repeated Frakes' last statement in his mind.

What else was there? As far as Jack was concerned, this had never been about anything but her. What could he possibly mean?

But Jack didn't care. He didn't care what Frakes was up to – and he was up to something. Just so long as he got her back.

That's all that mattered now.

* * *

Author's Note: Intrigued? I hope you are. Don't forget to review! Thanx. 


	8. A Life For A Life

**STARGATE SG-1: House Arrest**

Summary: Sequel to "Operation Checkmate". It's Jack's turn to be in over his head…

Season: 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the stuff, yadda yadda.

Author's Note: OK folks. Last chapter! But don't worry. There is a part three coming at some point. Hope you like the end for this one though! Please R&R as always. Thanx. Enjoy!

WARNING: Strong Language!

House Arrest: Chapter 8 – A Life for a Life

Jack hadn't let Frakes have a minute to himself since Simon had last called. He was completely cut off from every form of modern communication – phones, internet, pigeon carrier. This little fact should have irked him immensely. But it didn't.

Not since their little conversation. Frakes now had more information on his project than any file would tell. It was all he could do to keep from smiling every time he came across Jack. But he had to keep up appearances, for now at least. This little episode would be over soon and then they wouldn't know what hit them.

Frakes suppressed another smile as Jack entered the room. His face was still set in thunder, as it had been for the last two days.

"He'll be calling soon," Jack mumbled, taking a seat near the phone.

Everyone else in the room avoided his eyes. They knew what he was thinking. He had failed. Simon had given them a two day deadline to deliver Frakes, or he would kill Sam.

That time was up now. And despite Jack's hatred for his former CO, he couldn't bring himself to make the trade.

'A life for a life' was not a deal he could ever make, even when the lives belonged to a man he loathed and the woman he loved.

He gazed around his living room at the people gathered there. Barrett and Daniel looked much as he did – crest-fallen, dejected.

Even Teal'c looked a little more solemn than usual today. Jaffa, in general, didn't take well to defeat. He knew they were powerless to do nothing but wait for the inevitable.

Only Frakes looked remotely passive. It was almost as if he was just watching the whole thing for kicks – waiting to see and analyse their reactions.

Jack turned his face from all of them. Just seeing the same beaten expressions in them that he felt was driving him mad. He looked, instead, at the phone.

'This wasn't supposed to happen!' he told himself. She wasn't supposed to die as a captive in her own home, knowing that everyone she trusted had failed her. She wasn't supposed to have suffered as she had, waiting for a rescue that wouldn't come. She wasn't supposed to be alone.

She was supposed to live her life with him! To die peacefully in the night, with no pain, safe in the knowledge that he was with her.

Or she was supposed to die in battle and have a monument erected for her so the whole world could see the amazing difference she had made to their planet's existence.

She wasn't supposed to die like this!

Jack stared hard at the phone, trying to block the images of how things should have been. But no matter how many thoughts he shut out, there were others to take their place, each more morbid than the one before.

He kept wondering how Simon would do it. Would it be quick? Would she be in pain? Would he make them watch it just to add another wave of helplessness to their plight?

He could imagine her bound to a chair and blindfolded, waiting for the end. Begging, praying even, that Jack would be able to forgive himself for what was happening.

_Ring!_

Jack started as the phone beside him bleeped into life. His heart plummeted and his hands began to shake with grief.

Around the room, everyone's attention was focused on the ringing phone – the only object in the room that had any kind of power.

Daniel caught Jack's eye and nodded reassuringly. They were backing him up. Jack nodded back, grateful for the support.

He looked at the phone.

Taking a deep breath, he reached to pick it up.

It was time.

* * *

Sam awoke to the relative comfort of the floor. Simon had left her there the night before, not bothering to move her after another round of torment. But something was different now. 

She opened her eyes, trying to gauge what was out of place. She saw her living room on a tilt, making it look even more disrupted than it already was. The book cases were still overturned and their contents strewn across the floor, along with all of her dining chairs, the breakfast stools and, well, pretty much everything else. She was lying in the only patch on the floor that wasn't occupied with fallen furniture.

Sam tried to move a little, to see more of her surroundings. That's when she realised what was different.

She _could_ move! Her feet were completely free and her arms, though tied behind her, were tied loosely. Given time, she could easily wriggle out of the restraints. Her heart began to beat a little faster at the thought that she would be able to gain some sort of power over Simon.

Quickly, she began moving her wrists from side to side, ignoring the burning pain of friction. With every little movement, she could feel the tape giving a little more, allowing her to move just enough to keep her hope alive.

She was nearly free when Simon came back into the room. She stopped moving instantly. He clearly didn't expect her to be conscious yet, or he would have made sure she was properly restrained. As it was, he completely ignored her as he picked up the phone and dialled.

Sam gazed up at him. He was oblivious to her watchful eyes. She moved against her restraints again, cautiously, testing his perception of her presence.

He didn't react. She allowed herself a little smile at his expense.

She could hear the phone – now pressed to his ear – ringing repeatedly. His fingers tapped against the gun on the table in front of him. Eventually, he picked it up and flipped it idly round his index finger.

Sam kept moving.

'Not long now,' she thought. 'Not long now.'

* * *

At last, the infernal ringing stopped. 

Jack held the receiver to his ear, but didn't say anything – he wasn't going to give Simon that satisfaction.

"A little quiet today, Jack," Simon said into the silence. "So. What have you decided?"

Jack looked briefly at Frakes. It would be so easy for him to sell out and hand him over… Tempting.

"Go to hell," he said instead. He knew Sam wouldn't have allowed it. A life was a life, she would have argued. One couldn't be exchanged for another. Not like that, anyway.

Frakes seemed to visibly shrink as Jack spoke. He knew what a sacrifice this was for his ex-associate.

"Okay," Simon said, sounding as if he really didn't care at all. "But you know I'm taking her with me."

Jack closed his eyes. There had to be another way! He would even settle for begging right now! But he kept quiet, determined not to rise to Simon's bait.

"You sure I can't change your mind?" Simon continued. "'Cause you're never gonna see her again. Not even on a morgue slab. Or if you do, you won't recognise her!"

Jack wasn't sure whether he wanted to throw up at the images that flooded his mind or hit out. He tightened his jaw, trying to contain and control his fury.

"Is she there?" he said through clenched teeth.

"Yes," Simon replied. "Not very responsive though. Don't worry, I'll make sure she goes quickly and –"

His words were cut off and Jack heard as series of bumps and thuds. He sat bolt upright in his chair, listening hard.

He heard Simon curse. He heard a shot.

"SAM!" Jack yelled down the phone. He had to know she was okay. But no-one responded. The phone went dead.

Without a moment's hesitation, he leapt from his chair and sprinted to the door. Moments later, he was in his truck, his foot flat to the floor as he sped off to her house.

Daniel, Teal'c, Barrett and Frakes weren't far behind.

* * *

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she goes quickly and –" 

Finally, Sam was free. Before Simon could finish his taunt, she swung her feet around, pulling his legs from under him.

Simon fell to the floor, letting off one shot as he hit the ground. Small chunks of ceiling floated down from the newly made bullet hole.

Sam struggled to her feet as she heard her name called over the telephone in his hand. Simon glared at her as he pushed the disconnect button.

"You're going to live just long enough to regret that, my dear," he sneered.

Sam roughly kicked his wrist, dislodging the gun from his grasp.

"You first," she replied, not giving an inch.

Simon's face broke into a broad, leering smile as he launched forward in attack. He pulled her back down to his level and their struggle began.

* * *

Jack was vaguely aware of several blue flashing lights following him. Sirens wailed and other drivers beeped their horns at him as he screamed through red light after red light. Several times, he had to swerve the on-coming traffic, but each time, his adrenaline-enhanced reflexes came through for him and he kept going. Absolutely tunnel-visioned. 

'Don't need to worry about calling the cops, then,' he thought as the convoy behind him grew.

"Pull the vehicle over!" he heard a police officer bawl at him over the speakers on the SUV.

Jack smiled slightly as he sped forward. He wasn't stopping. Not till he was at her side.

He sharply turned the corner leading onto her street. Two houses from hers, he slammed the breaks on and fumbled in his glove compartment for his hand gun.

At last, his truck screeched to a halt.

Jack threw the door open and sprinted – ignoring the complaint from his knees – up her path. He threw his whole weight into the door. It didn't budge.

Seven police cars pulled up around his truck. Two officers got out of each of them, their weapons trained on Jack's back as he slammed repeatedly against the door.

"Sir! Step away from the house with your hands behind your head!" the same officer bellowed at him.

Jack ignored them. All he had to do was get inside and she'd be okay.

Just get inside!

* * *

Simon's hands clamped down hard around her neck. He was sitting on her, making it impossible for her to kick him off. 

Her fingernails dug into the back of his hands, trying to pry him away form her. But her mind was beginning to cloud. She couldn't concentrate for much longer.

Then she heard it.

_Thud! Thud! Thud!_

Not inside her head. Outside her door! He was there, she knew it.

A new wave of strength surged through her with each _Thud_ that reached her ears. She heard the door splinter slightly as it gave a little under his efforts.

Finally, Sam mustered enough strength to move. She managed to roll – unfortunately taking Simon with her – till she was lying in full view of the living room door. But Simon was still there, holding her throat in a dead-lock. She tried to claw at his face; to do anything to distract him.

His hands held her fast.

At last, the front door was flung open under Jack's weight.

He flew into the house, his gun poised in front of him. He saw Simon straddled across Sam as he strangled her.

Jack saw red. He launched himself at Simon.

Simon was caught completely off guard. As soon as Jack hit into him, he let go of Sam and was carried backwards by Jack's momentum. Jack laid into him, letting his rage flow out of him through his fists.

Simon soon regrouped, though, and flipped his assailant. The two men grappled and fought, not caring about the furniture they were thrown into.

Soon, with the advantage of youth and limbs that were fully intact, Simon began to gain the upper hand. In the struggle, he had found Jack's discarded gun.

Now, he managed to scramble to his feet and held the General at gunpoint.

"Can't save her, Jack," he said, gasping for breath. "Can't save Frakes either. Can't even –"

_BANG! _

Simon stumbled, his eyes wide in shock. He slowly turned around. He faced Sam. He faced his own gun turned on him.

"It's over, Simon," she said quietly.

Simon's face fell into a grimace as he went to attack her.

She fired again. And again. And again. Each shot she let off was payback for what he had put her through.

Each shot that pumped into him stripped away more and more of the monster he had become.

Tears welled up in Sam's eyes as she soon recognised her old friend in the dying man before her. But she kept firing. Hate, rage and fear kept her finger pulling on the small loop of metal.

Simon dropped to his knees as the last bullet ripped through him. A pleading look passed through his eyes as he finally collapsed, lifeless, to the floor.

Sam's face was awash with tears as she kept pulling the trigger. The gun clicked over and over, until she realised it was empty. She looked at Jack. He – exhausted as she was – looked back at her. She threw the empty gun to one side and broke down in tears, her whole body shaking with fatigue.

Jack was at her side in seconds. He pulled her into his arms and gently rocked her, soothing away her pain.

She knew she was safe.

* * *

At the sound of gunshots, the chief officer outside the house had called for back-up, ready to go in and take Jack down. Fortunately, Daniel and the rest of them arrived shortly after and managed to hold them back for a while. 

Jack and Sam soon emerged from the house – each looking battered and bruised, Sam more so than Jack – and let the officers through to look at the damage.

After that, it had been chaos. Forensics teams swept in with lots of yellow tape and flashing cameras. Everyone was taken aside for questioning, though not a lot was said as the main investigation fell under Air Force jurisdiction. Two ambulances turned up too – one to cart Simon's body away and one to see to Jack and Sam.

Jack's right shoulder was sporting a rather impressive and painful bruise from being hammered repeatedly against a locked door. Other than that, he was fairly unscathed – just a few scrapes and bruises from his fist fight with Simon.

Sam's injuries were a little more extensive. Her arms were covered in burns, as were her knees. Her cheek bone had been chipped and her collar bone fractured. She had multiple welts and bruises on just about every limb visible, though none were more impressive than the finger and rope marks on her neck. She sat on the edge of the ambulance, wrapped in a beige blanket, staring blankly at her house.

"Whatcha thinking?" Jack asked, sliding in next to her.

"Home improvements," she replied, keeping her gaze on the people running all over her home.

"Such as?"

She looked at him. "Lots of candles. Coal fire."

"Sounds cosy," Jack quipped, not entirely sure how to take what she was saying.

Sam looked down at her hands. "Just so long as they can't explode," she said quietly.

Jack nodded. He understood. She had been privy to too much destruction from Simon. It was going to be hard for her to just get back to her life without worrying that he would somehow find his way back. Even now he was dead, it was going to be hard.

"I've been meaning to thank you," Jack said, changing the subject entirely.

"What for?" She sounded tired, defeated.

"I hear you were put through your paces a little while I was out of it."

Sam winced and turned away from him. She hadn't wanted him to know anything about that. It was bad enough with just her knowing.

"There's not a lot of people who'd do something like that for me –"

"Is that supposed to make it better?" she snapped, horrified that he was justifying her actions.

"No," Jack conceded. "But it doesn't make me see you any differently either."

Sam still wasn't convinced. "And how exactly is that? How do you see me?"

Jack cocked his head to one side and smiled. "You're beautiful," he murmured.

Sam didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Even now?" she half joked, her voice wavering in tears.

Jack put his arm gently around her shoulders. "Especially now," he said quietly.

Sam let out a half laugh, half sob as her head fell onto his chest. She sighed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked tenderly.

"Dreadful," she said on a breath.

"Well, it's over now. You're gonna be fine."

Sam slipped her arms around his waist, thankful for the comfort he provided.

"I know," she said into his chest.

After a moment of somewhat careful consideration, Jack concluded that he didn't give a damn who was watching. Not after what they had just been through. With no regard for audience, Jack placed a small kiss in Sam's hair and pulled her closer to him. He rested his chin on her head and gazed at the scene of chaos around them.

By one of the police SUVs, Jack spotted Frakes. He was watching them. A small smile crept onto his face when Jack caught his eye. He raised a cautioning eyebrow as his smile broadened.

Jack wanted to run across and hit the man, and would have if he hadn't been so wrapped up in Sam.

Frakes could tell what Jack was thinking and shrugged.

"You be careful," he mouthed to Jack.

With that, he stepped away from the car and slunk off into the shadows.

A pang of fear niggled in Jack's gut. He had a feeling this wasn't all over yet. Not if Frakes had anything to do with it.

He would worry about that later, he decided. For now, he was just glad to have his Colonel back.

* * *

Author's Note: That's all folks! Anyone up for a third part? Tough if you're not cos there's one coming (eventually – could be a few weeks, but keep an eye out!). For now, though, don't forget to review! Thanx. 


End file.
